Scotland Brings Home Gold

Being a host nation for a global sporting event puts a lot of pressure. As we saw in Brazil at the World Cup back in July, that pressure can deflate in a horrible way if the country loses. At the Commonwealth Games out in Glasgow, there have already been certain falls from grace, and various people who proved disappointing. Yet it’s not going too bad for Scotland, as they have so far scored a decent amount of medals. The moment earlier this week, when Ross Murdoch realized that he’d won gold in the 200m breaststroke finals, will probably be one of the more lasting memories of the game for Scottish fans. In addition, he sliced another five seconds off his personal best. The shock on his face when he realized this was obvious, as he became a Scottish hero overnight.

Daniel Wallace, shown here, currently swims for Florida.

Hannah Miley also seems unstoppable, beating Aimee Wilmott of England to claim gold at the 400m individual medley. She couldn’t even feel her legs for the end of it, as she was over two seconds ahead of her counterparts. Daniel Wallace’s gold for Scotland even got political, as he shouted “This is for freedom” as he hit the wall to seal his 400m individual medley gold victory. This was misconstrued as an act of support of Scottish independence, yet in reality it was a salute to William Wallace, the historical figure made famous by “Braveheart”. Wallace’s career as a swimmer nearly came in jeopardy shortly before the Games for urinating on a police car, and he was nearly suspended from Team Scotland. However, he still made it to represent his home country. All eyes are currently on Scotland, with its athletes providing drama as well as medals.